Trickster Demon
by supercutekillerkittenofdoom
Summary: Masamune and Yukimura are having yet another duel, but they inadvertently destroy the seal that imprisons a trickster demon. Now chaos truly reigns as they have to fix the mess they started. And things are only going to get more complicated as time progresses. Please R R
1. Chapter 1

Authors notes: Well since I'm getting back into writing fanfics, I decided to do another proper one, to go along side my drabble/shorts series.

My last one proved to be quite popular, though this one will be more insane, I had a stupid idea, but it had to be done. I'm so sorry Yukimura.

Summary: Masamune and Yukimura are having yet another duel, but they inadvertently destroy the seal that imprisons a trickster demon. Now chaos truly reigns as they have to fix the mess they started. And things are only going to get more complicated as time progresses.

Pairing: Date/Sana

Rating: T - for Masamune's language, blood, violence and sexual references.

Setting - AU anime setting

Prologue - Azure v Crimson (here we go again)

CRASH

The lightshow was pretty, especially at night, but Sasuke could not just enjoy the fireworks, he had to keep an eye on his master, or rather the group of rowdy spectators, to ensure they did not join in. However they seemed happy to watch, at least the Date army knew not to interrupt these duels, but they sometimes got a little carried away. Then again, if Sasuke failed, Kakatura Kojuurou would step in, and if he failed, whoever it was, was probably not part of either the Date or Takeda armies.

At the centre of the light show, two men fought as hard as they could, neither able to gain the upper hand, both perfectly matched. The rush of adrenaline; the sweat the sounds of clashing steel; this was what they lived for, this was perfection.

A stray attack scattered the onlookers, shattering rock and churning up the ground, those close by could swear they heard an insane giggle, but with the noise from the fight, they could not be sure.

"Free at last." The Demon, hid in a tree close by, watching the fight with a wicked gleam in his eye. "I guess I'll have to thank those two at some point, but it's been so long since I've had a little fun." It resembled a small child, except its eyes had no pupils and were glowing purple.

"Hmm, how to cause the most mayhem, those too look like fun, let's take a look. . . hmm, yes, just perfect." It began to mutter an incantation, then it melted into the shadows to watch the mayhem unfold.

Masamune grinned, slashing all six claws at Yukimura, but something felt wrong, they should have hit, but they did not. Yukimura was not blocking, he was, he was gone! A flash of violet light and he was gone!

"OI, WHAT'S GOING ON?"

"Masamune-sama, what was that?"

"Danna? Danna where are you?"

Confusion was setting in, and Yukimura struggled to sit up, but his body felt strange, and why was the grass so tall, heck, why was everything so big?

"Hey, I'm over here!" He tried to walk, but found his legs kept getting tangled, he'd dropped his spears somewhere, but could not see them over the grass.

"SASUKE I'M OVER HERE!"

He got the hang of walking again and headed over to Masamune, who was closer.

"Masamune-dono, I'm here." he tugged on his clothes, trying to get his attention.

Masamune looked down, and froze, the coin necklace was there, so was the headband, but there was a serious problem.

"Sanada?"

"Yes why are you looking at me like that Masamune-dono."

"Umm, this isn't good."

"What is it Masamune-sama?"

"Look familiar?"

Yukimura frowned as he was pointed at.

"Hey what's going on? Why are you all acting weird?"

"Danna?"

"Sasuke, what's happening?"

The three men stared at him for a moment before Sasuke pulled out a small mirror.

"You might want to take a look at yourself Danna."

Yukimura looked at the mirror and froze.

"I'm. . . I'm. . . ARGH!" he screamed and started running round in circles trying to make sense of the situation.

"Well it's certainly the right reaction." Masamune sniggered, picking the panicking Yukimura up.

"Wha? Masamune-dono please put me down!"

"Geez calm down."

"CALM DOWN, CALM DOWN, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!?"

"What's he saying?" Masamune asked Sasuke.

"I don't know, I don't speak kitten."


	2. Chapter 2

Authors notes - TY for the reviews, I hope you are all enjoying this. The first chapter was a prologue, and therefore a bit shorter than my normal chapter length, but now I'm back to normal chapter lengths.

Chapter 1 - Revelations

Yukimura sat in a tent feeling depressed, Sasuke had put him there, then gone to talk to Masamune and Kojuurou. Yukimura considered wandering around, but his size made everything more tiring than it needed to be.

He could hear people coming closer, then the flap opened and Masamune stepped in.

"Are you sure this will work Masamune-sama?"

"I'm sure, look he can already smell it."

_Hmm, that smells nice, where, where is it, ah, Masamune-dono has it, and I'm hungry too. Here I go._

Masamune laughed as Yukimura jumped for what he was holding, though was mildly irritated when he grabbed it and started eating.

"Damnit, and I was hoping to play a little."

"DANGO!"

" Did it work?" Sasuke asked.

Masamune held up the dango skewer with Yukimura still holding on and eating.

"Yeah, I've never seen a kitten move so fast."

"Is it safe to give him that?" Sasuke was slightly worried.

"Cat's can eat anything, so long as he gets proper food as well, it shouldn't be a problem." Masamune said. He had to admit, Yukimura was very cute, a small ball of ginger brown fluff with a little red headband and a necklace of six small coins. He had big amber eyes which were happily focused on the dango he was eating.

"So what are we going to do about this, I doubt he can stay a kitten forever." Kojuurou said.

"Forever?" Yukimura stopped eating, alarmed by the prospect.

"Umm, not a clue."

"BOSS, something bad happened!"

"What?"

"Someone broke a seal."

"Seal?"

"You know boss, the kind that imprisons demons."

"So there's a demon on the loose?"

"Yes boss, a trickster demon."

The group looked at Yukimura as realisation hit them all at the same time.

"So that demon is most likely responsible for Danna's current situation." Sasuke groaned.

"Any idea which demon?" Kojuurou said.

"Kuroryuukokuouji."

"The Black Stream Child King? Never heard of that one?" Masamune said.

"Maybe one of the locals will have." Kojuurou said.

"Kuroryuukokuouoji?" Sasuke groaned, "I hate that little shit."

"You know it?" Masamune was surprised to hear the ninja curse, he was normally quite polite, if a little sarcastic at times.

"Yeah, that thing, it's actually a minor trickster god, not a demon, only it's difficult to tell. It has two main abilities, it can swap two people around, physically."

"As in one morning I wake up in someone else's bed, only I know I went to sleep in mine?."

Kojuurou asked."Yeah, which is what cause the first battle at Kanawakajima, it decided to swap Lord's Shingen and Kenshin, they left quickly, chased by the other's forces, and they ran past each other at Kanawakajima."

"That must have been an experience." Masamune chuckled.

""It was, but this things other ability is that it can turn people into small animals, as we have already seen. The main problem is that it is a nasty piece of work who loves causing total mayhem."

"I can see how as well, wonder who it's next victims will be." Masamune sighed.

Yukimura watched the men talk, he wanted to join in, but he knew all they heard were kitten noises, not actual words. He wondered who slept in this tent, it was incredibly messy, he thought he could see a futon buried under a pile of junk. Then he spotted it, a small bundle of clothing thrown to one side, it looked perfect, something drew him to it. He wandered over and had a sniff, it smelt familiar, tobacco, that was it, but it looked so inviting, so he prodded it.

_It feels soft, and I am tired, I guess it won't hurt to have a little nap._

"Umm, where'd he go?" Masamune noticed Yukimura had finished the dango, and had slipped off somewhere.

"Uh-oh." Sasuke said.

"Even if he's still in the tent, finding him will be difficult." Kojuurou said.

"My tent isn't that messy, anyway he's just there, on my. . . sleeping. . . yukata."

_Damn, he really is cute curled up like that, guess all the stress must have worm him out._

"I'll get you another one, Masamune-sama, and given the time, I think Sanada has the right idea."

"Yeah, sleep does sound good." Masamune yawned, looking at the pile on his futon. He decided to shift it to one side before extracting the covers from the mess.

"I know I'm supposed to look after him, but I don't want to disturb him." Sasuke said, looking at Yukimura's sleeping form.

"Relax, it's not like he's taking up any room, he can stay here tonight."

"Thanks, I also need to sleep, I'm probably going to have to explain all this to Oyakata-sama tomorrow."

"Should be an interesting conversation."

"Yeah, though he won't be happy to know how Danna got turned into a kitten, so, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Masamune changed once Kojuurou returned with a spare yukata.

"Get some sleep Kojuurou, we're going to need to be fully awake tomorrow."

"As you wish, Masamune-sama."

Now he was alone with the sleeping Yukimura, he got changed and settled into bed. It was quite cold now, and he suspected Yukimura would get soaked from the morning dew.

"Careful. . . there, hmm, so soft, damn, if I didn't know better I'd swear you were trying to seduce me." he sighed, gently running his fingers through the fur.

The next morning, Yukimura woke up first, something was pressing down on him, not so much that it hurt, but he could feel something.

_Masamune's. . . hand? Well it is warm, and, oh, he's waking up, umm, I know pretend to be asleep._

"Uhh, still asleep huh." Masamune gently ran his fingers through Yukimura's fur as he sat up, unable to resist a little stroke.

_Oh that feels so nice, don't stop, I don't want it to stop._

Masamune blinked as Yukimura began to purr, and wondered if he really was asleep, or just pretending.

"Masamune-sama, are you awake?" Masamune pulled his hand away slowly, reluctant to stop.

"Yeah, I'm awake, kinda."

"I have your armour ready."

"Ok, just gimme a minute, someone else is still asleep." Yukimura took this as his cue to 'wake up' and opened his eyes while faking a yawn.

Masamune shook his head, part of him wanted to keep Yukimura close to him, he was just too cute to let go.

Once Masamune was in his armour, the Date army continued to look for any traces of the demon.

Reports from the local villages gave little information, one old man has known about _a_ demon, but it had been such an old legend that his grandfather had forgotten all the details.

In the main command tent, Masamune and Kojuurou were keeping things organised.

Sasuke had returned to Kai, to explain the situation to Lord Shingen, he would then head to Echigo, and finally, back to the Date camp.

"Hey, I can't see anything from down here." Yukimura protested as he tried to climb up onto the table.

"Huh? Pffft, I'm guessing you wanna take a look, fine?"

"Gyaa, careful!" Yukimura wriggled and struggled as Masamune picked him up and put him on the table.

"Oi, watch those claws, I'm trying to help!"

"Sorry." Yukimura hung his head, dejected, he should have been more careful.

"It's alright, it's just a scratch." The look had said it all, rather than the mewing noise.

Another problem for Yukimura was that he could not see the map as a whole, and had to walk all over it for it to make sense. He noticed a pool of wax pinning the map to the table, and had an idea.

_Hmm, claw, not claws, claw, good, now if I do this, and this. . .yes, now if only I had more wax._

"Huh, what you doing now. . .hmm, what's that?" Masamune could not make sense of the scratches in the wax.

"It's Kanji, I know it's untidy, Masamune-dono, and you're reading it from the wrong angle."

"Try looking at it from over here Masamune-sama."

"Uh-huh. . . Eh? How'd I miss that?" Masamune cringed in embarrassment, he should have recognised _those _kanji, Yukimura had written his own name on the wax.

"I think we have something that might help." Kojuurou said.

"Then go get it."

Yukimura was proud of himself, now even as a kitten he could contribute something, though he was going to need something to write on.

Kojuurou returned with something in his hand.

"Of course," Masamune said, "We can finally communicate."

Yukimura looked at the object in front of him, it was a large (by his standards) pair of wooden frames bound by two loops of thin leather, allowing it to be opened like a book. He tried opening it, but it was too heavy for his small body, and he let out a plaintive meow.

"Well, kittens aren't noted for their strength." Masamune sighed, opening the object for Yukimura.

"MEW!" It was such a happy cute noise, that Masamune had to hide his blush.

_How? How has be gotten so cute? Ok, he was kinda cute before, in his own way. Argh I'm not gonna get out of this with my sanity intact._

Yukimura looked at the wax tablets and cheered, now he really could communicate, once he sorted out the legibility of his kanji.

"You're gonna want to practice your calligraphy." Masamune teased.

"We have several in storage, I think someone brought them by accident."

"Well they turned out to be useful, so we shouldn't worry."

Yukimura was busy writing, and taking his time, trying to get it right this time.

When he was done, he sat back, at least he could read the kanji this time.

Masamune took a look at his work.

"A-sa-me-shi. . . good point. Kojuurou, how long for breakfast?"


	3. Chapter 3

Authors notes: yey, more reviews, ty to everyone who has posted one. Obviously I would like more, what author doesn't.

And here is the next chapter, enjoy.

Chapter 2 - The next victims

Kuroryuukokuouji was bored, apparently that one act had not been as effective as it had first thought.

"What now? The one with the eye patch, but they know how to deal with that, unless. . . he he, that'll be fun." it snickered before tapping into its power, this would be tiring, but worth the effort. Once it was done it pulled out a small mirror and began to admire its work.

-Somewhere in the Western Sea-

The sound of the waves should have been drowned out by the battle, but the combatants were staring at their Lords in shock.

Long, messy white fur and a single amber eye regarded sleek sandy fur and two acidic green eyes.

"Well this is annoying, what did you do this time?" Motonari cooly asked Motochika.

"Nothing, I have no idea what just happened, this is not my fault."

"Then whose fault is it?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Imbecile!"

"Geez, you could be a little more friendly, afterall, we're both in the same mess."

"Ahhh, SO CUUUTEEEE!"

"Argh, get her off, get her off me!" Motonari screamed.

"Aww, don't be shy kitty, OH YOU HAVE A FRIEND TOO!"

"Oh no, oh no, I see where this is going." Motochika tried to run, but was not used to four legs.

"I propose a temporary cease fire." Motonari said.

"Deal, now I propose getting the hell away from this brat." he looked up at Tsuruhime who had 'abducted' them.

The two armies were too shocked to do anything, and she escaped unharmed.

"Oi you lazy buggers, do something."

"Useless fools, when I get back. . .!"

Back at the shrine she giggled as she took them to her room.

"I'll get you two out of those silly things and into something much better."

"Wait, she doesn't mean. . ." Motonari looked horrified.

"It's dress up time!" she cheered.

"RUN!" Motochika yelled.

-Osaka-

"IEYASU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!?" Mitsunari screamed into the mirror, and a sleek, silver haired kitten screamed back. He stalked around, scowling, waiting for Yoshitsugu to tell him that someone wanted to speak with him. That was all well and good, but right now he was in no state to see anyone.

"Mitsunari, there is a delegation from. . . I shall tell them you are ill." Yoshitsugu inwardly groaned, he was allergic to cats.

-Mikawa-

"Umm, Tadakatsu, something doesn't feel right."

". . ."

"What?"

". . ."

"Ah, umm, I see." Ieyasu sighed, looking at his reflection in the provided mirror. A chocolate brown kitten with big yellow eyes stared back. "Any ideas?"

". . ."

-Echigo-

"KENSHIN-SAMA!"

"Ugh Kasuga, I thought ninja were supposed to be quiet. . . oh, yeah, I see your point." Keiji stared at Kenshin, or rather the elegant white cat that he assumed was Kenshin.

"Oh no, what do we do? What do we do?"

"I dunno, maybe Toshiie and Matsu can help?"

-A dew days later - Saica Faction HQ-

"Magoichi, we've received several reports of various Daimyo being turned into cats or kittens, and reports of several others falling ill."

"So we can guess that they have also been afflicted."

"What should we do?"

"I think I need to see Tsuruhime, I suspect a demon in involved, and she is a priestess."

-Around the same time in Kai-

"AH SASUKE!"

"Ok, you don't have to shout, what is it?"

"It's Lord Shingen, he's he's. . ."

"He didn't die?"

"No, he, he's, oh take a look for yourself." The maid was in hysterics and had to be taken away by another sobbing servant.

Sasuke groaned and went to Shingen's room.

"Lord Shingen?" there was no reply.

"Lord Shingen?" again, silence.

"Lord Shingen? Please forgive the intrusion. . . oh no, not you as well." Sasuke moaned as he saw a very grumpy looking tabby cat sitting on Shingen's chair. It was big, bulky and wearing a miniature version of Shingen's headdress.

"Me-ow."

"I have no idea what you just said, but I'm going to guess. If you're wondering where Yukimura is, he's still with the Date army, with the same condition as yourself.

"Meow."

"Uhhh, oh great, with danna out of action too, does this mean I'm in charge?"

Nod

"Right, it might be best to get you and Yukimura in the same place, and maybe they'll have figured out a means of communication." he wanted to wash, to change, but there was no time.

"Meow?"

"It was that demon, god thing from before, the one switched you and Kenshin, a certain pair obliterated the sealing stone by accident."

Shingen facepalmed, grimacing.

"I know, I know, we only found out after Yukimura was turned into a kitten."

"Umm, Sasuke, what do we do?" a guard asked.

"I'll be taking Lord Shingen with me, the rest of you go onto alert, but stay here until I send orders saying otherwise. If anyone else comes with similar problems, direct them to Oshu, you know where those two normally have their duels?"

"Yes-sir."

"Ok, now I need to clean up, or Lord Shingen will not be happy with me."


	4. Chapter 4

Authors notes: ok, that last chapter was OTT, but I was on a perscription painkiller induced high (PMS is a b***h), so please forgive me.

Anyway, back to the main pairing.

Please read and review, and I hope you are all still enjoying this.

Chapter 3 - Developments and Meetings

The journey back to the Date camp took longer than Sasuke would have liked, but with Shingen in his current form, it could not be helped. Figuring out what he would eat had been tricky, but Sasuke realised that Shigen's normal diet was a cooked version of what a cat would eat anyway, with added rice.

It was early evening when they reached the camp. Sasuke was tired, hungry and his back ached, Shinged weighed quite a lot for a cat, then again, he was a large tomcat made of solid muscle.

"Sarutobi, there's been a few developments." Kojuurou looked stressed, more so than normal.

"Good or bad?"

"Well, we found a method of communication, though it is a little basic." he held up a wax writing tablet.

"Why didn't I think of that? Wait, there's more isn't there Kakatura-san?"

"Yes, take a look." Kojuurou opened the flap to the command tent and Sasuke groaned, inside two kittens were fighting, he recognised one straight away as Yukimura, which meant the other one had to be. . .

"Your Lord too huh?"

"Yes, they've been like this all day."

"Then you can probably guess who this is." Sasuke placed Shingen on the table close to the scrapping pair.

"Is that, Lord Shingen?"

"Yeah, figured it would be best if I bought him here, and it has some benefits."

Sasuke grinned as Shingen clobbered both kittens on the head, breaking the fight up.

"OYAKATA-SAMA!"

WHACK

"Did you have to hit so hard?" Masamune groaned as he rubbed the bruise on his head.

"I pulled the blow Date."

"I. . . see. . . so you too, geez that little demon thing is gonna get it when I find it."

"Given one of you two released it you'd better find it, and it might help to focus on looking instead of fighting."

"But Oyakata-sama, we're waiting for scouts and messengers to return with the information we need to form a plan. Sasuke was returnin to Kai to talk to you, then he was going to head to Echigo to speak to Lord Kenshin."

"I see, so that's where he should head now."

Yukimura wobbled over to the writing tablet and tried to write the kanji for Echigo, but it just looked like a scribble.

"I think you hit him too hard, his head isn't as solid as it used to be." Masamune said.

"Hmm, let me try."

"Eh? Ah yes, I was meant to go there, I'll head out first thing."

"Kakatura-san, Keiji wants to speak to the boss, what do we tell him?"

"I'll speak to him, did he say why?"

"He asked about a demon."

"Does he have a cat with him?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, how'd you know?"

"I think this demon, god child thing is having a lot more fun than we first thought."

"Bring him here." Kojuurou ordered.

"Sir!"

"Wonder who else is affected?" Sasuke smirked, "Could be fun to see people's reactions."

"Ah, this is a silly question but is there a sealing stone around here?" Keiji asked.

"There was, until a certain pair obliterated it." Sasuke explained. He was not surprised to see Kasuga cuddling a white cat, which looked perfectly groomed.

"Are they also?" she asked

"Yeah, Lord Shingen as well." Sasuke replied, "though we can communicate, kinda."

"Come in, it's getting late."

"Why did you come here?" Sasuke asked.

"We were heading to Toshiie and Matsu's but Kasuga checked the archives and found out about this place, which was on the way, so here we are." Keiji said, watching the four felines interact. "Gotta admit, Yukimura is cute as a kitten."

"MEW!?" Sasuke tried not to laugh at the look of horror on Yukimura's face, but had to step outside.

"Cute, I am not cute!"

"Get over it Sanada, you're a kitten and all kittens are cute."

"That means you're cute as well Masamune-dono."

"_Shit, _didn't think of that, oh well, guess it can't be helped."

"Kakatura-san, we have more people asking about the sealing stone."

"Who is it?"

"Yoshitsugu."

"Pfft," Masamune sniggered, "Wonder how Mitsunari took it."

"We're probably going to find out soon." Kenshin said.

"Try not to annoy him." Shingen asked, "He's got a foul temper."

"I don't think he's going to be in a good mood, unless someone killed Ieyasu for him." Masamune sighed.

"Ah, here they come."

"So those two obliterated the sealing stone, and now it would appear most of the daimyo in Japan have been turned into cats or kittens." Yoshisugu said.

"I see, we knew some had, but most of them?" Kojuurou asked.

"Yes, the only faction leaders not cursed are Magoichi Saica and Tsuruhime, and I didn't think taking Mitsunari to Inyoko was a good idea."

Kojuurou spotted Mitsunari scowling at him from a perch on Yoshitsugu's shoulder.

"I think we're going to need to put up the larger command tent, and several guest tents." he sighed.

Mitsunari did not want to talk to anyone, even though they were in the same position as him. He still remembered how they had opposed Lord Hideyoshi.

_Lord Hideyoshi, no, how can I honor his memory in this state? ARGH no, this, this isn't fair, why, why. . . unless, that's it, it's a test from Lord Hideyoshi, yes it's a test, but how do I overcome this? Wait, do I have to. . . work with them? No I must rely on my own strength._

"I knew he's be grumpy, but come on, lighten up a little." Masamune groaned at Mitsunari, who continued to ignore him.

They could hear a faint rumbling noise which was getting louder and louder.

"That sounds like Honda-dono." Yukimura said.

Mitsunari's ears twitched at the name.

_Wait, if Tadakatsu is here, then that means. . ._

"IEYASU!" Mistsnari ran for the entrance, only to be intercepted by Keiji.

"Now why can't everyone get along?" he held the hissing and spitting Mitsunari up high so he could not escape.

"Ah good, you stopped him," Sasuke said, "Look, you can sort your little grudge match later, but right now we need to find a way to turn everyone back to normal, so can you please refrain from trying to kill Ieyasu, at least until we sort this whole mess out."

"Hmph!"

"Please, look if you do, we'll even help by making sure no one interferes, ok?" Sasuke said.

"Alright, now where is Yoshisugu?"

"What did he say?" Keiji asked.

"I don't speak cat."

"Does Yoshitsugu?"

"Given he's allergic to them, I doubt it."

"Mew?"

"Wait, you didn't notice? Then again, it would be difficult to spot the rash underneath the bandages." Sasuke said.

"Mew."

"Ok, now are you going to try and kill Ieyasu while you are in this form."

Mitsuari shook his head.

"Ok, I know you keep your word, so that's one less problem to worry about. Kakatura-san, it's sorted, temporary cease-fire."

"Good." Kojuurou came in carrying Ieyasu, there was no way Tadakatsu was going to fit in the tent.

"All of you as well? I heard people talking about a demon, what's going on?"

"Long story." Masamune said. "Guess I'd better start from the begining."


	5. Chapter 5

Authors note - Time for a little side trip down south (to where most of the crack is, I actually knew someone who would do this to their cat given the chance, the cat however is not stupid and always seems to know when 'dress up' is on the cards)

Anyway here is the next chapter.

Chapter 4 - Rescue

"Please kill me." Motonari sobbed as he tried to remove the thing Tsuruhime had made him wear. It was pink, with white lace frills, and very ichy.

"Then you won't be able to get revenge." Motochika said, wearing something similar, only it was a pale yellow colour.

"Nothing will sate my lust for vengance."

"I dunno, I want to see her face when she realises who she had in her bed last night." Tsuruhime had nearly suffocated both of them as she slept, hugging them close to her.

"Why?"

"I can now say I shared her bed, and she won't like it one bit, remember her opinion of me is similar to yours."

"Yes, but you were a cat at the time, does that count?"

"I'll make it so it does count, I know how to wind her up, it's quite fun."

"Speaking of winding her up, she does caligraphy practice on wax tablets."

"Why do I want to know that?"

"What do you use to write on these?" he pointed to the open tablet on a small table.

"Sharp sticks. . . or claws, you have better caligraphy than me."

"Naturally, hmm, how cruel should I be?"

"Sadisticly cruel and evil."

"Yes, now lets see, how do I begin?"

-An hour later-

"Here they are Magoichi, why did you ask if I had found many cats lately?"

"I'll explain, and what are they wearing?"

"Don't they look adorable?" she hugged the white cat who looked horrified, the other cat gave her an evil look from it's perch on the table.

She noticed the tablet and picked it up.

"Hmm, I thought as much, Tsuruhime, you do know who they are, don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Were they wearing anything when you found them?"

"Yes, these." she showed her a familiar eyepatch and hat.

"And who wears those normally?"

"Eh. . . EEEEEEEK!" she threw the white cat as far from her as she could before passing out.

"Right, you into bed, and you two, lets get you out of those ridiculous outfits."

"Oh thanks the Gods." Motonari said, "Someone with some sense."

"Siaca? I think I love you."

"Interesting method of communication, though perhaps it's best that she does not see this." she pocketed the wax tablet and found an unused one.

"So, will you two please explain why you are here."

Motonari started writing, once he was done Magoichi read the tablet.

_The little brat grabbed us moments after we ended up in this state, how she failed to realise our identities is beyond me. We tried to escape, but you try running on four legs when you are used to two. She even pulled us into bed with her last night, we nearly died. None of this was our fault, we did not want this, and if you mention this to anyone we will kill you._

"I see, if it helps you are not the only ones afflicted with this, transformation, in fact most of the daimyo are."

"Meow."

"This is going to take a while, also, I think it would be an idea if you two were not here when she wakes up, and I have an idea."

She set them to work going through scrolls looking for information on entities which could turn so many people into felines.

"You start looking while I try and calm Tsuruhime down." Magoichi said before leaving them alone.

"Normally I would kill for such insolence."

"Shut up and start reading, we both benefit from this." Motochika said, trying to push a scroll open with his paws. "Though where do we start."

"I've got the one from the last decade, you do the one from the decade before and we alternate until we find something, or run out of scrolls."

They looked at the piles of scrolls that filled the room.

"I hope it's recent." Motochika said as he moved to a different scroll.

About an hour later they took a short break, mainly because they needed to roll the scrolls up at one end to make room.

"Hey, I recognise that name, Kuroryuukokuouji, hmm, got the right powers and everything." Motochika said.

"You know it?"

"It's the thing that caused the first battle at Kanawakajima, it can also make two people swap places, Shingen and Kenshin in that instance, Kanawakajima is where they ran into each other, persued by both armies. They eventually sealed it, on some hill in Oshu, just south of Sendai, and the One Eyed Dragon was supposed to be duelling the Tiger Cub on that hill a few days ago."

"Those two cause so much damage that they probably broke the seal, when I get my hands on them."

"Paws."

"You know what I mean!"

"Yeah, yeah, anyway, you'd better start writing so they've got something to explain why we think it's this thing."

Motonari hissed at Motochika, but started to write anyway, the less time this took the better for everyone.

"Have you two found anything?" Magoichi came back in with some rice and cooked fish for them to eat.

Motonari pointed to the wax tablet, which she read while they ate.

"I see, the powers fit, and those two destroying the place by accident, definitly. Now we have that information Tsuruhime should be able to make some warding charms." She took the scroll from the room, leaving the two alone again.

"So what now?" Motonari sighed.

"I dunno, see what these charms do?"

"Yes, but she's shut us in."

"Then we wait, I'm guessing we're going to be the test subjects, since we're already here."

"Oh Kami, what did I do to derserve this?"

"Where do I start?"

It did not take long for Magoichi to return with two charms. As she walked into the room the two of them stopped stalking each other and looked at her.

"No fighting." she hissed dangerously, and both got the hint. "Good, now let's see if these work." The charms were little bells on red cord, she tied one around each neck and waited.

"Well this sucks." Motochika said.

"Not only is it useless, it looks riciculous too."

Suddenly they were engulfed in a yellow light and found themselves in human form.

"Well I suppose it'll have to do." Magoichi said.

"It seems to have worked. . .ah." Motochika had been checking his eyepatch when he felt something odd.

"What are you staring at?" Motonari glared at him.

"You still have a tail."

"So do you."

"Oh, well it'll have to do for now."

"And how is it an improvement?"

"You can tear the thing that did this limb from limb."

"Shut up."

"Ok, now we know they have a reasonable effect, we're going to the site of the sealing stone, Tsuruhime should be able to trap it again, even if we don't know where it is."

"Why should we go?" Motonari asked.

"Because when we trap it, someone has to beat it up."

"Hmm, fine, but I want to send word to my people first." he reluctantly agreed, though he suspected Magoichi would march them at gunpoint if they refused.

"I'll need to send instructions back to Shikoku as well." Motochika sighed.

"Those pirates can read?"

"Yes, well, some of them can, and they're the ones that count."

"Will you two stop acting like a married couple, please?"

_That shut them up quickly, good, and at least they were wearing clothes, Tsuruhime's only just recovered from one nasty shock today._


	6. Chapter 6

Authors notes: Again, ty for the reviews, anyway this chapter is a lot more serious than the others, and has Masamune demonstrating his wonderful knowledge of _engrish cursing_, just so you know.

So read, enjoy, and please review.

Chapter 5 - Fury

Yukimura frowned, he'd been writing something for Sasuke, but he'd forgotten the kanji for gate. It was such a simple thing, it annoyed him no end. He struggled to remember, so he decided to read his writing, to try and remind himself.

_The west tower needs repairing, some of thr foundations were damaged during the, the, come on, I just wrote this. . . ooh that's so pretty, and flying, gotta catch it. . .no, bad Yukimura, I must not get distracted, not by anything, ah, now I remember the kanji._

Yukimura continued to write, hoping that he was not losing his mind.

"Is it me, or has that been happening more and more the past couple of days?" Masamune pondered to himself as he watched Yukimura struggle with what should be simple kanji. He had noticed quite a few similar little incidents: Yukimura losing track of a conversation; Yukimura wandering off for no apparant reason, and forgetting that he had wandered off.

"I should keep an eye on him, in case something tries to eat him, or someone steps on him." Masamune shivered at the thought. Something was wrong, but he could not quite pin it at the time.

That night, he could not sleep, he was worried about Yukimura, very worried. He heard movement close by, someone was wondering off somewhere; thankfully there was a full moon and no cloud; as a result it was easy to identify Yukimura as he wandered around the outside of the tent. He followed for a little, but Yukimura seemed to be totally confused, sniffing everything in sight.

"Oi Yukimura, what you doing?"

"Mew?"

"Huh, Sanada, _you doing ok?"_

"Uhh, what, where?"

"Hey, what's wrong, _shit!"_

"Mew."

"Hey are you even in there?"

"Mew?"

"No, not this, not you, damn that demon god child thing, WHERE ARE YOU!?"

"So you finally noticed what will happen if you don't reverse this soon." It sniggered, appearing behind him.

"_Fucking bastard, turn him back!"_ Masamune lunged at the creature, but it dodged.

"Why should I?"

"You, if you don't, I'll kill you."

"Then no one gets turned back, and you all forget who you are."

"Why, what's the point?" Masamune was becoming distressed, something which rarely happened.

"Why, because it's fun to watch the people around you suffer as they lose you."

"You get kicks out of other's pain and confusion? That's sick!"

"I'm a God, we thrive in different conditions to you humans. Though I'm going to be nice to you, and turn you back. You seem to be rather attached to him, more so than you're willing to admit. Now all those years of holding back those feelings are all going to be wasted. You can't save him, so wallow in regret." it laughed as Masamune felt himself returning to normal.

"_That little shit, I'm gonna obliterate it out of existance!"_ he screamed out loud, waking the entire camp as a result.

Once he had calmed down, he reaslised his outburst had scared Yukimura off, and the kitten was nowhere to be seen.

_"Shit!_ Now what do I do?"

"Masamune-sama! I'm not complaining, but how did you return to normal?"

"It's complicated, but there are a few serious problems. One: if they stay as cats for too long, they forget who they are and well, become actual cats. Two: Since Yukimura was changed first, he's ahead of everyone else. And three: he was around here somewhere, but ran off. And he seemed to be acting on kitten instinct more than anything else."

"Right."

"Though how are we supposed to find a kitten in the dark?"

"Tempt it with food."

"Ok, you're better with animals than me."

A small trap was set up, with a bowl of sweets and grilled fish inside, if Yukimura regained his senses for a period, the sweets would get him; if not, they just hoped the fish would work.

"Right, so all we can do is wait." Masamune said.

"Yes, though we'll need to tell the others about this time limit, we only have a few more days before they start 'forgetting'."

"This is going to go down really well."

-Much shouting, meowing and sobbing later-

"Oh for _fuck _sake, QUIET!" Masamune screamed over the din, "It sounds like a battlefield in here."

The occupants of the room stared at him, too shocked to speak.

"Right, so we have around three days to get people back to normal, any ideas, anyone?"

BANG

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP, I'M GETTING A HEADACHE FROM YOUR BICKERING, ANYONE WATCHING WOULD ASSUME YOU ARE MARRIED OR SIBLINGS!"

"That sounds like Magoichi Saica shouting at. . . Motonari and Motochika, wait, aren't those two always fighting each other?" Masamune was confused.

"I think she's got them cooperating at gunpoint Masamune-sama."

"That would explain why Motonari in on that mobile machine thing of Motochika's, though, they appear to be normal."

Four people jumped off the machine and walked towards the camp.

"Pfft, cats ears, and tails, and what are those two wearing round their necks?" Masamune was trying not to laugh at the sight.

"I don't belive it, that moronic pirate was right." Motonari groaned.

"Hey I'm right here." Motochika hissed at Motonari.

"Something tells me you're all here about a certain demon, god, thing."

"Yes, we also have a temporary solution to the problem, as demonstrated by those two." Magoichi said.

"I see, I'm guessing it's the things around their necks."

"Yes, I think I made enough for everyone."

Masamune groaned, yes Tsuruhime was a nice kid and all, but her voice drove him up the wall.

"Ok, they're in there, just watch out for Mitsunari, his mood is fouler than normal."

"I don't blame him." Motonari said, "You two morons caused all this, so I hope you fix it properly."

"Hey, we never knew about this demon until after Yukimura got turned into a kitten, speaking off, has anyone seen him?"

"What do you mean?" Magoichi asked.

"After cetain time you forget who you are and really do become a cat, Yukimura got changed three days before everyone else, and ran off in kitten mode."

"Ah, that could be a problem."

SNAP

"MEW!?"

"Or not." Masamune went over to the trap, which now contained a terrified kitten. "He went for the fish, damn, now what?"

"Fish?" Motochika looked confused.

"Since when do normal kittens eat Dango?" Masamune asked, "We put two things in there, to catch him regardless of his mental state, but since he went for the fish over the dango, he's still thinking like a kitten."

"Right that's everyone, it'll take a minute to work, so maybe you ought to make room." Tsuruhime said.

"And Mitsunari you are not allowed to kill Ieyasu." Masamune said, "You are still techinically under the effects of that things magic."

"Grrrr, WHAT!?"

"Oh boy, at least as a kitten he was easy to control." Sasuke groaned as he watched the group.

"KENSHIN-SAMA!"

"Hey Motochika, long time no see, once this is over, wanna head up to Toshi and Mastu's?"

"Sure thing Keiji, though the crew will be dissapointed that I went without them."

"I'm sure Matsu will make something for them."

Masamune sighed as people were reunited, he still had to figure out what to do with Yukimura.

"Put this around his neck."Tsuruhime passed him one of the collars."

It took a litle while to get Yukimura out of the trap, he had decided he liked in in there and would not budge without a fight.

"Ow, watch the claws will ya" Masamune hissed as he finally managed to tie the charm around Yukimura's neck.

-Five minutes later-

"Still nothing, was he too far gone?" Masamune asked quietly. He'd left Yukimura with Shingen and Sasuke, and judging by the lack of shouting, the charm had not worked.

_It hurts, why does it hurt so much? Do I really care that much? Damnit, it's like there's a gaping hole in my chest where my heart should be. Why? Why does it hurt so much? Hmph, who am I kidding, I know why it hurts; but I've been too afraid, too afraid to admit it. I'm in love with him; I fell in love with Yukimura Sanada when I first met him._

"Masamune-sama?"

"Huh?"

"Are you alright?"

"It's. . . complicated, I'm not sure I understand it myself."

"It's Sanada Yukimura, isn't it?"

_Typical Kojuurou, well at least he's keeping his voice down._

"If this gets resolved properly, you should tell him." Kojuurou said.

"I was going to, but, how to resolve this, I just don't know."

Kojuurou frowned, he never liked seeing Masamune like this, he had to do something.

"Ok, which fool ruined my fun?"

Masamune scowled, he knew that voice, it was back!


	7. Chapter 7

Authors notes: Ok, this is the last but one chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I will be writing more additions to my other works, I've not forgotten them.

So here is the next chapter.

Chapter 6 - Revenge

"Ok, which fool ruined my fun?"

Scowling, Masamune stood up and looked around.

"Is that?"

"Yeah, that's the little shit who came up with this whole mess."

Kuroryuukokuouji was hovering over the camp, the pre-dawn light allowing people to see it, it did not look happy.

"Come on, who was it?" it hissed at the stunned soldiers.

"Ok you little brat, it's payback!" Masamune snarled.

"So this it the thing that did that to us?" Motonari asked.

"Yeah."

"And it decided to appear righti next to all it's new enemies." Motochika said.

"I doubt even you would be that stupid." Motonari said.

"After this thing dies, you're next."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing."

"Guys, guys, it's just a kid." Keiji said.

"No, it's a demon that call itself a god and takes the form of a child, and it just made a fatal mistake." Mitsunari growled.

Ieyasu sighed, he still was not used to having a tail, but at least now he could fight.

"So, are you going to play nice and turn everyone back, or will we have to kill you?" Sasuke said, looking very angry.

"Do I look like I care, take this!" Kuroryuukokuouji laughed, "Uh, why didn't that work?"

"The charms protect against you, not transformation magic." Magoichi said, "It seemed like a good idea since we were probably going to have to fight you."

"Fine, guess it's plan b."

"Right, I'm thinking we end this right now." Masamune said before leaping at Kuroryuukokuouji.

Keiji did his best to prevent Tsuruhime from witnessing the violence, not that she complained.

"How am I supposed to seal it if it's dead?" she asked.

"Why not start now and see what happens." Keiji suggested.

As people jumped at Kuroryuukokuouji the flaws in the lack of stratgey became apparant. It dodged and moved, getting between people, then vanishing, causing a lot of friendly fire.

"This is too easy." It sighed as the melee dissolved into small groups of individual fights.

"This is ridiculous." Magoichi said, "Who is actually fighting that thing other than me?"

"I am." Masamune said, "And by default so is Kojuurou, and monkey boy seems to be keeping his focus."

"So are The Tiger and The War God."

"Lets not leave them to have all the fun."

Coordinating attacks between the five was an interesting experience, until Yoshitsugu decided to join the fray.

"I wondered what the noise was, and what is that thing?"

"The cause of all our troubles." Masamune said, "So if you would be so kind as to give us a hand."

"Oh very well, distract it for a second."

"_No problems_."

"And speak in Japanese."

"Whatever."

It was not difficult for Masamune to keep Kuroryuukokuouji occupied for a few moments, and it was all Yoshitsugu needed.

"Ahhhhh, try excaping from that you vile pest!"

"Ha, this is gonna feel good." Masamune grinned as he swung at Kuroryuukokuouji, he was not the only one who shared this sentiment, and the others who had kept their heads also attacked.

"AHHH, AHHHH, ok ok, I yield, I yield." Kuroryuukokuouji cried out in agony. "Just stop hitting me, it hurts."

"If you really mean that, reverse your magic, on everyone affected." Magoichi said, holding a gun to its head.

"Ok, ok, just gimme a second, hnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, ok, done."

"I don't feel any different." Motochika said.

"Hey, people's ears and tails are glowing!" Keiji shouted.

The whole process took a minute, but then people were back to normal.

People started talking again, then Sasuke turned to check on Yukimura.

"OYAKATA-SAMA!"

"YUKIMURA!"

CRASH

"Some things never change." Sasuke sighed, though for once he was happy to hear the mayhem; it meant Yukimura was back to his normal, hyperactive self.

Kuroryuukokuouji used the commotion to try and sneak away, but was intercepted by Keiji and Ieyasu (who had somehow escaped Mitsunari's attempts to kill him).

"Umm, can I go now?"

"No, I'm going to seal you away, properly this time." Tsuruhime shouted while brandishing her priestess staff.

"Worth a try."


	8. Chapter 8

Authors notes: *Starts crying* Well, this is the final chapter, I hope you have all enjoyed this enough to leave glowing reviews, and to keep an eye out for the next story I publish, there will be a direct link, but they are separate stories. And it will be published soon, don't worry.

Anyway, obviously the big question is, will The One Eyed Dragon get his Tiger Cub, only one way to find out.

Chapter 6 - Aftermath

"Look just get him out of here before he wakes up." Masamune said to Yoshitsugu while pointing to the unconcious Mitsunari.

"What did you do to him?"

"Sedative tipped needle, no damage, he'll just be sleeping like a baby for the next few hours." Sasuke said.

"Do you have anymore of those?" Magoichi asked.

"Are those two still at it?" he sighed checking his supply.

"Isn't that a bit underhanded?" Tsuruhime asked.

"You're going back with them don't forget."

"Ehhh?"

"So we want them unconcious for the whole journey." Magoichi said.

"Pour this on a cloth when they start waking up, then make them inhale the fumes." the passed Magoichi a small vial of liquid. "You only need a drop per time, so you should have enough."

"Good, now I'm sure Motochika's men will give us a lift." Magoichi smiled in a way that left Sasuke very worried.

"Look, neither of us knew about that thing about it until it turned Yukimura into a kitten." Masamune was now talking to Ieyasu.

"Well, it got sorted out in the end, though I think I'll be avoiding Osaka for a while, let Mitsunari recover." Ieyasu said.

"Yeah, probably a good idea."

". . ."

"Ah Tadakatsu, is it that time already?"

". . ."

"I see, well we have to go, there's quite a bit of mayhem in Mikawa as you can imagine."

"Not just Mikawa, well, see you around."

"Goodbye Kasuga-chaoow!"

"Pffft, I almost feel sorry for the idiot." Masamune said to Kojuurou.

"There's been a minor development, Kuroryuukokuouji left a little reminder. It's not serious, just, well, take a look. Sanada isn't happy about it though, not that I blame him."

"Oh dear, what now?"

Masamune went to the tent Yukimura was hiding in, "Are you alright?"

"Umm, it's just, well, there's some left overs from the transformation."

"Are all the normal bits still there?"

"Yes Masamune-dono, I've aquired some extras as well."

"Sorry, I'm coming in,"

"No wait, it's embarrasing."

Masamune walked into the tent as Yukimura hid under a blanket.

"Your tail is sticking out." Masamune was trying not to laugh, but failed when he saw Yukimura's head appear, the cat ears were just too much.

"I'm sorry, it's just too funny."

"That's mean Masamune-dono."

"Thing is, they suit you."

"Eh? That's even worse."

"Hey, take it as a comliment, not many people can pull the neko look off."

"I am not a neko."

"You are now."

Yukimura hid under the covers his face crimson with shame.

"Why just me?"

"Probably because you were in kitten form the longest."

"Oh, no one is going to take me seriously again!"

"Then make them regret it, I still take you seriously."

"You do?" Masamune was startled, Yukimura's face was just so cute, the eager eyes that glittered with pride when he'd said that.

"Yeah, it's difficult not to."

"Seriously, even looking like this?"

"Seriously, I've fought you enough times, and I've seen what happens to people who don't take you seriously." Masamune knew what he wanted to say, but how, and when either Shingen or Sasuke could overhear. . . he did not want to think about their reactions.

"Danna, Lord Shingen and I need to head back to Kai."

"Ah, ok Sasuke, I'll get ready."

"Oh no you don't, we still have a duel to finish, once we relocate and check to make sure we don't have a repeat of the last fortnight." Masamune said.

"Go for it Yukimura, I have faith in you!"

"Thank you Oyakata-Sama!"

Sasuke sighed, "Just come back in one piece, and not as a kitten, please."

"I intend to ramain human Sasuke."

"Good, now we really must be off."

Yukimura watched his ninja and his lord leave on horseback, he was now almost alone with Masamune, since the Date army had already started to move the camp.

"Where are we going Masamune-dono?"

"That hill there, there's a good hotspring part the way up, and no demons."

"Sounds good."

"Well hurry up, I want to get in the water soon, that Demon was a little bugger in combat."

"I noticed, though I wonder how the other Daimyo are reacting to being human again."

"I can imagine one reaction." Masamune sighed, thinking of his uncle howling about the cat hairs.

The two began to ride to the hot spring, talking as they went.

"Are you ok Masamune-dono?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired, and still a little stressed, plus I haven't bathed in two weeks, my hair is a mess 'cause there's no way I was licking myself to keep tidy."

"I see what you mean, I really need to wash too, I think Oyakata-sama would have thrown me in the first river if I had gone with them."

"Yeah, but this water is not freezing cold, ah Kojuurou, is it ready?"

"Yes Masamune-sama, and the men are checking the hill, just in case."

"Good, and are there any clean clothes left?"

"No, but I sent for some, they should arrive in a couple of hours."

"Guess it's gonna be a really long soak." Masamune smirked.

He pulled Yukimura into the small hut next to the springs and found a couple of linen wraps to go round their waists. He nearly threw Yukimura into the water, but calmed down. He was really on edge for some reason.

"Are you sure you're alright Masamune-dono?"

"I have no idea," he replied, sliding into the water, letting the heat relax him.

"You're still stressed, what is it?"

_Since when did he stop being so dense?_

"It's complicated, something that little pest said to me."

"You let that thing get to you?" Yukimura was shocked.

Masamune grabbed a bottle of sake and poured two cups before downing his in one go.

"Ah, that's the stuff."

"You still haven't answered my question Masamune-dono."

Masamune looked at Yukimura, his hair was sticking to his face and the furry ears were also wet. Something inside Masamune just snapped, he could not hold back any longer.

"I nearly lost someone I couldn't bear to lose."

"Eh?" Yukimura was confused.

_Ok, now he's as dense as a brick, I should have known subtle was not going to work._

Masamune sighed, gathering all his courage (and still nearly panicking), he pulled Yukimura to him and stole a fierce kiss.

"It's you, I - I. . . damn this is harder than it looks." Masamune was tongue tied, he was close to losing the plot and running, until he felt lips press against his own.

_Wait, this is, whoa, right, I'll take that as a positive response._

It felt good, both men could not stop, all they wanted was more of this feeling that the kiss was creating.

"_I love you." _Masamune panted when they broke apart for air.

"I. . . love you. . . too."


End file.
